


Punch Our Way to Heaven!

by Internet_XxxPl0r3rxxX



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Angels, Brawler OC, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fight Scenes, Found Family, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, References to Abrahamic mythology, Slow Burn, Solving Problems With Fists, Trauma, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:00:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28462764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Internet_XxxPl0r3rxxX/pseuds/Internet_XxxPl0r3rxxX
Summary: The hotel finally has a new resident! Now if only the Hazbin crew could figure out what he did to get down here in the first place and why he's so distant.
Relationships: Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Punch Our Way to Heaven!

**Author's Note:**

> I've worked on this on and off as a sort of time-killer for the past... I dunno, four months? Mostly to see if I could write an OC-fic that doesn't come off as too cringey. If it seems like I've succeeded so far, lemme know. Might add on to this.

The first person to see him was Angel Dust. He could begrudgingly admit he’d been a bit too much of an ass recently, and Charlie’s eyes had been a little bit too piercing for him to say no to her request that he help out the hotel by going on a quick grocery run. And so he went. The Limo was at the mechanic’s for the week so he had to walk there and back, opting to take nothing but his phone, his wallet, and the shopping list Charlie had written up for him. He’d gotten the required items without much incident, save for a few awkward interactions with fans who’d recognized him. It was when he was about halfway home, arms laden with bags of food, that he was yanked into an alley as he passed by. 

“Hey there sugar.” The demon in front of him crooned, getting up close while another held two of his arms in place and a third stood nearby.

“(Sigh)… Look, fellas, you seem like nice guys, really, and normally I’d love to take your cash and help ya kill some time, but I’m off the clock and some of this stuff needs to get to a refrigerator pronto.” Angel explained, his other four hands gesticulating as much as they could manage whilst being restrained or weighed down by the shopping.

“Oh, we figured,” the one holding him hissed in his ear, the hot breath sending an uncomfortable sensation down Angel’s spine. “We weren’t really planning on paying anyways. Figured you’d just be some broad back from a day at the mall worth a few minutes of fun, but then we drag you in and who do we find but a bona fide celebrity.”

Angel’s mind raced as the three chuckled, closing in and leering at him. Normally this wouldn’t even be a problem for him, but between being saddled down with so much crap and not having brought any of his usual gear, his options were limited. It didn’t help that the bastard behind him had a mean grip. Just as the third one began to reach out his hand, a resounding THUNK echoed through the alleyway as he slumped forward onto the dirty ground, a fresh red dent in the back of his head. The one holding Angel looked up just in time to see the brick flying at his face, managing to catch one of its corners right between his eyes and instantly putting him out of commission. The third snarled and pulled out a switchblade, rushing at the assailant only for his clumsy slash to be sidestepped. In the span of 15 seconds, the assailant caught the mugger’s arm, snapped it back with an audible crack, then grabbed the sinner by the horns and slammed him face first into the nearby wall hard enough to chip some of the stonework.

Angel stood there dumbstruck as the last body dropped, the assailant panting ever so slightly. Getting a better look at him, Angel had to admit he was… different, by Hell standards. While more humanoid looking sinners weren’t exactly non-existent (Vaggie, for example) they were still rarer than the more anthropomorphic or mutated looking varieties. Even then they were usually harsher to look at than the folks upstairs. But this one looked… well kind of alright, to be honest. Granted the whole ‘coming to his rescue’ thing was earning them some major points, but even then they were easy on the eyes. 

“You alright?” he called out, turning to face him and looking up a bit. He could almost swear it was like he shrunk down a little once the fight was over, but he didn’t look any different otherwise. That just baffled angel more, since demon forms usually came with some severe changes, but he decided to put that on the backburner for now.

“Alright now that you’re here, prince charming.” Angel replied, finally snapping out of his stupor and straightening himself out, trying to recapture his usual grace. He fixed the stranger with a smile. 

The stranger, in turn, looked up at him confusedly. “Er… come again?”

“Well you did just come to my rescue n’ all… wait this was a rescue right?”

“I’m not here to mess with you if that’s what you’re asking.” He replied, reaching down to the nearest unconscious mugger and pawing at his pants pocket. 

“Watcha’ doing?” Angel asked, hands on his hips as he leant forwards a little. 

The stranger fished out the muggers wallet before emptying it of any cash and tossing it back onto the mugger. He stood up and moved towards Angel, making a slight motion with his hands for him to get out of the way.   
“Everyone’s gotta eat somehow.” He replied as he leant down to search the next mugger. “I’m not gonna ask the folks I help for a handout, but I think it’s not necessarily a sin to take some bills off of assholes like these.” 

“Fair enough.” Angel said, inspecting him as he was hunched over. He had some clearly defined musculature, that much was apparent, but he started to notice a few other details. Faded cuts and bruises, a few patches of dirt and grime, nothing out of the ordinary for a sinner you met in an alley. It was the slight sink around his cheeks and the way his tattered shirt hung a little too loosely off his body that caught Angel’s attention, though. “Hey um…” 

“Zak.” 

“Cute name.” Angel muttered. “Anyways, Zak, was just wondering if you were uh, doing alright?”

Zak stood up after checking the last mugger, filing through the bills before folding them and stuffing them into his jean-pocket. “I didn’t get hit in the fight. Are you okay?”

“Oh believe me sweetheart, I’ve handled worse. This is just a normal day around here.”

“Hear that a lot.” Zak dusted his hands off on his pants then turned to walk back into the alley without so much as looking at Angel. “Stay safe.”

“Wait!”

He paused, turning to look back at him with a raised eyebrow.

Angel didn’t know what to think of this guy. It’s not every day you meet someone in Hell that just… helps. There could be some ulterior motive, yeah, but if there was why would he be walking away? He might not believe all that much in the hotel, but actually managing to bring someone in would get Charlie off his back for a good while, and so far he seemed like a good fit. That and it’d be nice to have some eye-candy aside from Husk. Try as he might, he couldn’t get through to that cat. 

“It’s just I got a lot to carry, and it’s a long way back home. Car’s busted. Was wondering if uh you’re not busy… maybe you could…?”

Zak studied him for a moment then sighed, marching forwards and out of the dark of the alley into the (comparative) light of the street. “Which way?”

Angel smiled and stepped out with him, pointing with one hand towards the end of the road. “Ah just down this way. Should be hmmm 15 minutes?” Zak reached out towards one of the bags, but Angel put up a hand. “Oh, don’t worry I can use the workout. Just need a bodyguard.” Angel fluttered his eyes a little and leaned down to be face to face with him. “Think you can do that?”

Zak cleared his throat rather roughly and averted his gaze. It was hard to tell with the reddish copper tone of his skin, but Angel could make out the slightest blush. He had this guy in the bag. “Yeah, yeah I think I can do that. We should get going, those guys might be waking up soon.” 

“Coulda just killed em’.”

Zak faltered a bit before picking the pace back up. Angel glanced at him curiously. “It’s not like they’d stay dead. Just keeps em’ out of your hair long enough to breathe easy.” 

Zak’s shoulders tensed as they walked on, a certain stiffness to his movements now. Even his voice sounded a little forced when he finally responded, saying “I don’t kill.”

“Really?” Angel chuckled a little at that, frowning when he noticed the scowl on Zak’s face. “Oh, I uh… I wasn’t laughing at ya just- it’s kinda odd to hear you know? Like, hear it and know someone means it.” 

Zak visibly calmed a little at this, though there was still a nervous edge about him. “I understand. If it’s not too much trouble I’d rather not talk about this any longer. We can talk about anything else.”

“Alright.” Angel shrugged. “You like guys?”

“A-anything but that!” He spluttered, and the face he made was just too adorable. Angel cackled as Zak collected himself. “You’re real cute when you’re embarrassed, you know that Zakie?”

“Can we please just pick up the pace?” 

“Got somewhere to be?”

“Yes, anywhere but here.” 

Angel only laughed more at that. It wasn’t a mocking laugh though. It was softer, sweeter. It wasn’t often he laughed like this. Even when he was with Cherri his mirth was usually from helping her curb-stomp the competition. Now though he just felt happy, a sensation a little foreign to him after how long he’d been without it. After a beat of silence, he picked the conversation back up, talking about more mundane things like TV and music. He was surprised to find Zak tended to avoid most forms of entertainment. Said he wasn’t much for the more “vulgar” aspects that were ubiquitous across so much of the media down here. Maybe Alastor would like him. Scratch that, that’d probably end terribly. Still, Angel just found him more and more odd by the second. Statistically speaking he had to have lied at some point by now, or at least be hiding some sort of dark secret. Nobody was down here without messing up badly. But he just had this… feeling about him. Like an aura almost, one that felt… right? Honest? Angel didn’t know how to describe it, but he wanted to trust what Zak said to him. 

“Well, here we are.”

Zak looked up to see where they had ended their trip. His eyes widened a little when he saw the hotel. “Oh.”

“Yep, this is where I’m staying. Nicer on the inside than it looks. I could show you around if you want.” Angel reached out a hand but Zak immediately backpedaled, stepping a few feet away from him. His shoulders and arms tensing again as his eyes darted around in a panicked manner. “I-I can’t. I have to go.”

Angel was a little disheartened, but tried to convince him. “Look, I’m sorry for being a little forward now and then if that’s what’s going on, but I think you could fit in here. I’m sure the lady that runs the place would-“

“Oh Angel, there you are!” Charlie said as she opened the door to greet him. 

“Speak of the devils daughter.”

Charlie went to take some of the groceries from Angel’s hands before glancing up at Zak. “Oh, who’s this?” 

Angel was about to answer but quick as a flash, Zak turned around and bolted away as fast as he could manage, kicking up some dust as he went. 

“Wh- Hey! Wait!” Charlie called after him, but he was either already too far off to hear or wasn’t too keen on listening. “Did I do something wrong?”

Angel stared off in the direction Zak had ran with a concerned look on his face. “No, I don’t think you did. Something ain’t right.”

“Who was he anyways?” Charlie asked, ushering him inside. Angel gave her the full story and relayed most of it to the other guests when they asked. There were mixed reactions. Vaggie was immediately skeptical, Husk was apathetic, Nifty seemed a little too excited and Alastor was intrigued. Charlie probably took it the worst, though. By all accounts this sounded like the ideal person for the hotel, but then she scared him away somehow. Angel tried to assure her it wasn’t her fault while Vaggie tried convincing her he probably would’ve been bad news anyways, but she couldn’t help but wonder for the next few days…   
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Ironically despite being the happiest about Zak’s sudden disappearance, Vaggie was the next to properly meet him. She decided to take a night off from the hotel. Normally she’d ask Charlie out with her, but she needed time to herself now and then. Everyone enjoyed solace when it was on their terms, of their choosing from time to time, and Vaggie was no exception. Which was why she especially hated it when her quiet little moment with a cigarette behind the bar was interrupted by fucking cat-callers. 

“(Hic) Heyyyy baby, how you doin?” A large sinner slurred, breaking off from a group of drunks and ambling over towards her while the others watched on giggling like fools.

“Fuck off.” Came her reply, letting out another puff of smoke and fixing them with the meanest glare she could manage with just the one eye. 

“H-hey come (burp) on now we can be fffriendz.” The sinner lurched forward, almost falling flat on their face. Hell wasn’t a place of little miracles though, and instead Vaggie watched them catch themselves in time to right their stance and lean in closer. Their breath stank of cheap booze.

She tried to ignore them for a while, opt for the passive route, but then she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Their hand was drifting where it wasn’t supposed to, and she wasn’t in the mood for that at all. She spun around, pulling out her retractable spear and skewering the offending appendage into the nearest wall. The sinner howled in pain, immediately trying to rip themselves free. It was then that Vaggie realized two things. Firstly, she was a little overzealous and now that spear wasn’t coming out without some effort. Secondly, there were about five other sinners that were none too pleased with what she just did to their buddy. Drunk and sluggish though they were, five on one weren’t exactly enticing odds. She was a skilled fighter but lacked when it came to raw power. Worst case scenario she’d die. It wasn’t a purge, she’d come back eventually, but it hurt Charlie when she was hurt, so she’d avoid that if she could manage. 

She caught the first strike sent her way from the smallest amongst them, gripping their wrist and tossing them over her shoulder. She spun in time to deflect the next attack and chop the second assailant in the neck. She heard shuffling behind her as the first got back up, then stomping from down the alley.

She saw Zak rushing out of the alley, but the little guy didn’t. One second he was running at her with a dumb, angry look on his face, the next he was picked up by his head and chokeslammed into the pavement. Zak then wasted no time in grabbing him by his ankle and swinging him like a mace in the direction of the rest of the group, letting the little sinner fly as he crashed into two and sent them into a sprawling heap. The remaining two split off, one rushing him, the other going for Vaggie. Zak seemed to flag a little bit as he merely stood there and let the sinner grapple him rather than press the attack, but Vaggie had her own fight to deal with. 

The booze may have emboldened her attackers, but it made them easy to telegraph. She ducked and weaved around wide swings, delivering sharp jabs and kicks at weak points every chance she got. Then she heard a resounding roar erupt as the original sinner wrenched their hand from the spear in the wall, leaving an oozing bloody hole in them as their arm swung wide and nearly took Vaggie’s head off, instead crashing into the face of her current enemy and partially caving it in. The sinner shifted into their demon form, growing even larger than before, now standing almost three heads taller than Vaggie. Her spear was loosened, but it was still partially embedded into the brick, not to mention that it was still behind a 9-foot wall of rage and alcohol poisoning.

The demonic sinner howled as it slammed it’s arms down trying to crush her, leaving a hole in the ground upon impact as Vaggie narrowly leapt back out of the way. As the sinner recovered, two thick, bandaged arms wrapped around it’s waist and lifted, sending it crashing headfirst into the ground with a suplex. Vaggie took her chance and rushed forwards, wrapping her hands around the shaft of the spear and yanking it from the wall, only to slam the point back down into the sinners throat as it tried to get back up. For a moment she panicked upon realizing she might’ve just pinned Zak under the sinner, maybe even skewered him a bit too, but then she was shoved backwards onto the ground by him. Apparently he’d managed to roll out and get back up.

She was about to scream that she knew he was trouble when she heard him yelp in pain, looking up to see a knife embedded into his arm. He turned to look in the direction of the last sinner standing, their arm still outstretched in a throwing position, and he snarled. His eyes burned with a bright light and his form grew in size and width. The sinner realized it’s mistake and tried to run, only for Zak to pick up the nearest trash-bin and hurl it like a dodge ball, catching them in the back of the head and sending them sprawled out onto the ground. When he didn’t try to get back up again, Zak let out a shaky breath and went about yanking the knife from his arm with a grunt. 

He immediately turned his back to Vaggie as he did so, cleaning the blade of any blood and tearing the bottom of his own tattered t-shirt off to use as wrapping. He pocketed the knife, then squat down next to the nearest sinner checking their pockets. Angel Dust had mentioned that being something he did.

“I could’ve handled that knife. Wouldn’t have even caught my hair.” 

“And I could’ve done nothing. Wouldn’t have cost me anything. Here we are though.”

He paid her no mind as he moved on to the next couple of sinners, wrinkling his nose upon opening their wallets and muttering something under his breath.

“You could’ve used their clothes as a bandage instead, you know.” She said, patting herself down to swipe away some of the dirt from the fight.

“I don’t know where they’ve been. Not do add insult to injury but they don’t seem like exemplars of personal hygiene.” He tossed the now emptied wallet back onto its beaten owner, walking towards the last two in her direction.

She took in the sight of him. Angel had described him as “Short, stacked and sexy. Oh, and red” which wasn’t exactly the most useful description, primarily because most people were short compared to Angel Dust and his standards for attraction were a little bit ‘broader’ than others, to put it mildly. He was at least about as tall as herself, maybe an inch or two taller when he wasn’t bulked-up. He was broad-shouldered and his eyes were, well, admittedly kind of interesting. He sort of reminded her of a statue left in a ruin, still nice-looking but noticeably worn down by time. The portion of his stomach exposed by the tear in the shirt was flat and toned, but his ribs poked through on his flanks, and his skin clung a little too tightly to his hips. His cheeks sunk in on themselves a bit too, making the bags under his bright eyes all the more visible.

“It’s rude to stare.” He said, getting up and dusting off his hands as he finished looting the last sinner.

“You look like shit.” She said in response. He turned to her with a slightly miffed look and she put her hands up placatingly. “Sorry, that just kind of came out. But uh, Zak right?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah, you don’t look that good. In fact, you look half-starved.” 

Zak glanced down at himself then back up at her, tossing around his response for a bit before settling on “I mean… I wouldn’t say half. Quarter starved, maybe?” 

Vaggie rolled her eyes at that, then went up to inspect the hole left in him by the knife. He reflexively covered it and stepped back, looking for any sign of trouble.

“That’s going to get infected.”

“You a doctor now?”

“No but I probably know more about first aid than you, so how about you stop being so paranoid.”

“Paranoia keeps me alive. I’ll pass.”

Vaggie sighed, dragging her hand across her face. “Look, just stay here, I’ll get some alcohol from the bar.”

“Now’s not the time for wine.”

“For the knife-wound, you idiot.”

“Oh,” Zak muttered, “right.”

Vaggie turned and walked back into the dingy bar. Well, everywhere in Hell was dingy really, but this one was at least nice enough to justify coming out on her nights off. She paid for a bottle of vodka and returned to the alley. At first it looked like Zak had left, but after a time he came out from the shadows, approaching her cautiously. She went to approach him again, and once more he backpedaled, eyes trained on her like she was a threat.

“Just hand me the bottle.” He said.

“Just pull that stick out of your ass and let me get close to you.”

“Why should I trust you?”

“Why would you rush in to help someone you wouldn’t trust?” 

Zak’s mouth opened and closed a few times as he struggled to find the right words, eventually sighing. He slid against the wall to sit on a nearby crate. “Just make it quick.”

Vaggie went forward and poured some of the vodka out onto a cloth napkin she grabbed when the bartender wasn’t looking, examining the wound as Zak removed the makeshift wrapping around it. Immediately she noticed the odd color of his blood, a glassy black with flecks of every color scattered across. It looked like an ordinary knife that had hit him, and the sinner that tossed it didn’t seem particularly magical, so for whatever reason, this was probably his natural blood color. She decided not to comment on it, figuring it was tied to why he was so skittish about her seeing it in the first place. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to grill him for information. First and foremost: “Why did you run?”

He looked up at her, a poor attempt at a confused expression painted on his face. 

“You know what I mean. From the hotel, the first time you got there- from Charlie. Angel says you ran the second she opened the door. Explain.”

“I don’t-“ his deflection was cut off by a sharp hiss as Vaggie pushed the cleaning rag a little too forcefully into the wound, fixing him with a harsh glare. 

“Whatever’s up with you, it’s clear you don’t want word to spread about it. You tell me, or I tell EVERYONE.”

“Tell them what, huh? What’s my secret if you got it all figured out then?”

“Tell them about your weird blood, about the fact you don’t kill, about how you’re the one that’s been robbing folks in alley-ways. I’ve got no idea how it’s all connected or what it all means, but someone’ll figure it out. Then they’ll find you and do whatever it is you’re so scared about.” Vaggie continued looking him dead in the eyes as she dug her fingers deeper into the wound, Zak starting to sweat a little as he strained not to scream.

“The fuck is your problem!?”

“My problem is that I don’t know shit about you aside from the fact you’re trouble. Either you find it, or you bring it, and neither is good for Charlie. I’ll do anything to protect her, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re a potential threat. So, talk.” She said, driving her fingers in just a bit deeper as Zak choked out a yelp.

“s-She’s the devil’s daughter!”

Vaggie pulled the cloth out from the wound a bit, though not entirely. “…And?”

“What do you mean ‘and’, isn’t that reason enough to be scared of her?”

“You’re scared of… Charlie? Seriously?”

“Yes!” 

For a long while she just stared into his odd eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation, of dishonesty, but all she found was a look of exhaustion and exasperation. She finally pulled the cloth out from the knife-wound, dabbing around the edges before tucking the napkin away. “Well, it’s definitely not infected now.”

“No shit.” Zak muttered, gripping his shoulder. “Are we done?”

“No, we’re not.”

“Look if you try something again-!”

“Do you want to stay down here?”

Zak seemed caught off-guard by her question, but quickly recovered.

“Like the street or…?”

“Hell. Do you want to just live out however many cycles you have left here until a purge comes along that you’re not ready for?”

“Of course I don’t.” 

Vaggie took a deep breath, mustering up the will to say what she was about to say. “Then come to the hotel.”

Silence came again, until Zak began to shuffle away from her. “I-I can’t.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say.”

“We’re safe there-“ 

“Exactly, YOU’RE safe, not me. Definitely not me.”

“Would you just fucking spell out for me what’s got you so shit-scared of the place? Of her?”

“Would you just leave me alone?” He muttered back, turning on his heel and beginning to walk away.

“That threat still stands Zak. Don’t think I was bluffing.” 

“You weren’t back then, but you are now.” He called out, looking over his shoulder at her. “I wouldn’t help someone I didn’t think deserved it. And you wouldn’t invite someone to your place if you didn’t think they belonged there, that they weren’t worth saving. That about right?”

She only looked at him, her eyes cold but not quite as harsh as before. He turned back away from her, muttering something under his breath. “How much longer do you think you can keep this back-street Robin Hood shit up before you starve?”   
“As long as it takes. Whether that’s for me to die or for me to do what I’m trying to do, that’s for God to decide.” And with that, he turned the corner and walked out of view. 

Vaggie eventually made her way back home, confiding privately to Charlie about what had transpired while she was out to avoid further gossip amongst the group. Charlie seemed even more disheartened by this, worrying that she was seen not just as a laughing-stock after the interview but also as a danger due to being the princess. She’d never considered the possibility that such a thing could happen. Sure, people were terrified of her father when he deigned to appear, but most of the time he left her to fend for herself, and the denizens of hell were all too aware of the fact if the constant jeers and taunts were anything to go by. The fact that she scared someone hurt more than the mockery, though, even if she couldn’t quite explain why. She only hoped she’d get the chance to meet this stranger someday, and set the record straight, as unlikely as the odds of that happening were…  
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Which as it turns out weren’t very unlikely at all, seeing as how she’d wind up bumping into Zak about two weeks later. She’d just been out and about, doing a little bit of window shopping trying to find some gifts for everyone at the hotel hoping to boost morale. She pulled out her phone to check the time when a blur rushed past her snatching it out of her grasp. “Hey!”

“Mine now!” The pickpocket shouted back at her, not seeing the figure ahead of him on the sidewalk as it put out it’s left arm and caught him square in the neck. Thankfully, whoever it was managed to catch her phone before it dropped, unlike the thief who went down with a spluttering cough. The figure merely stepped over him as he slowly got up and ran off, turning to look at Charlie. “Think this is y- oh.”

Charlie looked over the man holding her phone, a pang of sympathy shooting through her heart. While there was still some shape to him, it was clear that he’d had much more before hunger ate away at it, with a gaunt face and a hoodie so baggie one might mistake it for a curtain instead of proper clothing. A layer of dust and grime enveloped him, and his almost amber-colored eyes were dull and faded, even when they widened upon seeing her. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

He didn’t respond, frozen in place before unceremoniously tossing the phone in her general direction and turning on his heel with urgency. 

“Wh- dangit why does this keep happening? Stop!” She called out, beginning to follow the stranger only for him to pick up the pace. Before long she was in a jog, not struggling too much to keep up with him as his initial burst of speed seemed to gradually wind down. She chased him down a side-alley, cornering him in a dead end as he leaned against a wall, gasping for breath. 

“There you are!” 

He leapt a bit at her entry, quickly putting his arms into a fighting stance and scanning her with a manic gaze. It only just occurred to Charlie that, while she was just following him to thank him, to him it probably looked like she was hunting him down. And had succeeded, considering they were in an alley with the only exit being blocked by her. Vaggie was right about her needing to dial down the zealotry. 

“G-go away.”

“Right I uh, wow it’s only just hitting me how this all must look, but I swear I mean you no harm-!” 

“Then leave. Now.”

“But I wanted to thank you, and also I was kind of, um, worried about you? You don’t look so good-“ She took a tentative step forward. 

“BACK OFF!” He yelled, causing her to jump back a bit at the sudden outburst. His breathing still seemed labored, and his stance was sloppy. If she had to guess, he probably hadn’t slept well, or at all, in a long time. 

“Please, I just want to help.”

“Th-that’s a lie. Get away from me.” 

“It’s not a lie! You’re starving, hyperventilating, and you look like you haven’t showered or slept in like two weeks!”

“Did you seriously just- (pant) chase me into a corner to trash-talk me?” 

“No! I chased you into a corner because you look like you need help and I want to provide it as thanks for you helping me earlier! It’s payback!”

“Ain’t payback- (pant) ah geez- ain’t payback something you do to people who wronged you?” 

“Not this time!” She said, marching up to him as he pressed himself against the wall. He closed his eyes tightly, hesitantly opening them after nothing seemed to happen for a few seconds. He looked down to see a pale-skinned hand out for him to take, attached to what seemed to be an earnest smile. 

“I-I’m not making a deal.”

“What? Oh, no this isn’t- God I’m really just messing up again and again right now huh, haha… ahem- No, no this isn’t a deal. It’s a hand offered in good faith to someone in need. Not to say you need my help! I would just, um, like to provide some. Is all.”

“Why?”

“Everyone deserves a second chance don’t they?” 

Something seemed to flicker across the strangers face, as he hesitantly put out a hand to clasp hers. “I… I suppose that’s true.” 

Charlie’s eyes sparkled as he accepted her hand, gently pulling him away from the wall and out of the alleyway. “Come on, let’s get you somewhere cozier.”

“J-just one condition. Please.”

Charlie glanced up at him as he rooted himself in place, not yet letting go of her hand at least. 

“I know where you’re taking me. I’ve met some people from there but, not all of them. And I don’t want to, not today at least. I… need some time to put myself together. I don’t suppose you could like… sneak me in?”

Charlie smiled at him. “If that’s what you want, I’ll figure something out.”  
________________________________________________________________________  
Apparently Charlie’s solution was to bury him in the clothes and knick-knacks she bought that day and shuffle him on to a luggage trolley. Zak heard a few new voices question the odd pile, primarily why everything was stacked so haphazardly instead of just, ya know, put away neatly into bags, but Charlie managed to brush off the questions before his panic could set in. Eventually he heard the ding of an elevator and hesitantly poked an eye out to see his surroundings, only for Charlie to shift the pile back over him and put a finger to her lips. 

“Not yet. We’re headed to the seventh floor. Nobody ever really hangs around there so you should be fine to shower as long as you don’t make too much noise.” 

Zak merely remained still and silent, not wanting to give away his presence. His trepidation wasn’t unfounded, as he heard another ding and a new voice rang out, garbled by a static distortion.

“Ah, Charlie my dear! There you are!”

“O-oh, hey Alastor! What’s up?” 

“Oh not much, just came to see how your day went… I must say my dear that’s an odd way to transport your purchases if ever I saw one.” 

Zak tried his hardest not to shake underneath the pile. He knew, of course, that this guy was here. He would never understand how some people actually enjoyed celebrity gossip, but he did keep his ear to the ground when it came to the movement of the most powerful denizens of the underworld. And the fact that the Radio Demon, of all sinners, decided to move in with the princess of Hell was still a popular topic of conversation whenever he overheard a passing discussion. If he were at his best, he might be able to come out on top in a fight against him. But now, struggling to stand on his own two feet and scrawnier than he knew he could even become? There was no hope of survival. He prayed to whoever might still be listening that he survived the night.

“Oh- that! Ah well you know, I had a little bit saved up to splurge today so I kinda just went all out, haha…”

“Still, that’s no way to stack threadwork. Allow me to-!” 

“No! I mean uh, it’s no trouble, really! Folding shirts is kind of um- therapeutic for me.”

“Really? I admit I take some simple satisfaction in doing ones laundry but I didn’t take you for the type to enjoy more mundane tasks like that.”

“I totally do! Really helps with uh, nerves!” 

“Right then… still it looks like quite the load you’re pushing along here, perhaps I could help-“

“Again, I appreciate it but uh- exercise!”

“…Exercise?” 

“Yup! If I’m gonna run the hotel I need to be able to push this thing around when it’s fully loaded up! Just getting in some practice!”

Zak could almost hear the muscles on Charlie’s face pull into a forced, nervous smile. He’d managed to move his hand to his mouth and bit down onto it hard enough to almost draw blood. This was it, this was how he died. 

Alastor glanced between the trolley and Charlie several times, a confused smile spread across his face resting beneath a quirked eyebrow, before the elevator dinged again and he shrugged, stepping out.

“If you say so. See you at dinner?”

“Y-yup!”

And then the door slid shut. A few seconds later it dinged again and they were moving. Zak could hear a door open and close as the trolley finally came to a stop, and Charlie yanked the topmost layer of the pile off of him. Unfortunately, Zak was still in panic mode and gave a little yelp at the sudden transition.

“Ah sorry- Oh my god your hand!”

Zak looked down to see he’d left deep puncture marks all across the space between his thumb and his pointer finger. Nervous habits die hard, it would seem. Charlie moved to inspect it, but caught herself before crossing too far into his personal space.

“Zak, can I please see?”

Zak shakily stumbled out of the pile and sat on the floor, not wanting to plant himself on the bed before taking a shower. He put out his hand and she gently took it in her own. 

“I’m sorry for frightening you. I should’ve been more careful.”

“S’fine.” He muttered, not looking up. Charlie noticed he was shaking a little and tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder. He slowed, letting out a raspy breath and closing his eyes. His whole body seemed to slump. 

“I know a little bit of mending magic. Would it be alright if I used it on you?”

Zak nodded without thinking and a faint glow emanated from her hands as his own began to heal. 

“…shit- wait!” Zak suddenly shouted out, only to look down at his hand and see it looked perfectly fine, even some of the older cuts having faded away. 

“Is everything okay?”

Zak kept looking at his hand, twisting it around with a shocked look on his face.

“It’s… fine. Just didn’t think it would work on me.”

“Why wouldn’t magic work on you?”

“I… I think I should get cleaned up. Thank you, Charlie.” Zak got to his feet and turned but Charlie grabbed his hand one more time, careful not to be too forceful.

“Zak? Just… I want you to feel safe here. I don’t want to pry, but I have to ask you some questions about where you’ve been before now, what you’ve been through? Just to get a better idea of how to patch you up, I swear. Not today but… soon? Please?”

“…Okay. That’s fair.”

“Thank you. I’ll send some food up through your chute.”

“Aren’t those things for laundry?”

“Magic.”

“Ah, right. Hey um, not to be pushy but since I’m gonna bunker down here for a bit-“

“I’ll put extra. Don’t worry.” 

“Thanks. For everything.”

“My pleasure. Goodnight Zak.”

She turned and walked out the door, leaving him alone in the room. His room. It would take a bit of adjustment to recognize it as such. It’d been so long since he had a proper place to stay. He took a deep breath, catching a whiff of something foul. Oh right. It’d been half a month since he last took anything resembling a shower. Stepping into the bathroom he stripped off the tattered clothes he came in, which clung to his skin through grime alone despite its bagginess. He didn’t bother waiting for the temperature to adjust, just letting the water pour over him as he turned the handles. He felt the dirt wash off of his body just as he stood there, felt the water rush over all the half-healed cuts and potholes he’d scored across his body since he first arrived here. He remembered something and reached down to take something out of his discarded pants pocket. 

In his hands was a small circular object. To anyone else it might look like a band of faded gold, perhaps wide enough to slip ones hand through. His eyes saw it for what it was, though. A circlet made of fire, dulled yet still glowing as he held it in his grasp. He wanted so desperately to put it atop his head, just wear it as it was meant to be worn for even a second, but he knew the risks and they weren’t worth it. Not where he was right now especially. He knew there wasn’t much point in cleaning it, it couldn’t exactly get dirty, but he still idly thumbed at it beneath the showerhead as if wiping away dirt splotches. He set it down on the little soap holder that jutted out of the shower wall before letting out a deep sigh. “I can do this,” he muttered to himself. “I can do this… 

...I have to.”

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, if you made it this far, thanks. I would want any subsequent chapters to be about as long as this one so maybe don't get your hopes up for regular updates, but if you're at all interested maybe drop a bookmark and/or kudos, help me gauge interest? Suggestions and criticism always appreciated. Call it as crappy as you want as long as you offer some insight as to how I could improve. Or don't. I'm not your boss. 
> 
> Have a nice day and a (checks calendar) happy new year.


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